Catching the Bird Flu with 'Andrew Bird: Fever Year'

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By Rachel Hudson

I have the Bird Flu. But rather than a cough, fever, sore throat and muscle aches, my symptoms include tapping feet, rhythmical swaying and a huge obnoxious grin. The onset was acute, and it came with my viewing of the Austin Film Festival screening of Andrew Bird: Fever Year at the Alamo Drafthouse on Monday, June 25. You see, it seems that Andrew Bird has a fever, and it’s catching.

Knowing practically nothing about the musician Andrew Bird, I can’t fathom what motivated me to go see a documentary about him at Alamo Drafthouse. Yet there I was, circling the block downtown looking for parking and having virtually no idea what to expect. I found my seat and sat through the ever-entertaining previews for the Drafthouse, then an employee came on stage and introduced the director of the film, Xan Aranda. She was quiet, sarcastic and hard to understand at times due to her knack for mumbling.

"There's a lot of music in this film, so hopefully you can stay awake for the Q&A afterwards," she said before the film began. That was the gist of her pre-movie ramble, and it was not encouraging. However, as the lights dimmed and, as promised, the film opened with Andrew Bird performing on stage, my doubts were immediately assuaged.

The 80-minute documentary is about Andrew Bird's most recent tour, and how he was sick the entire time. Literally, he had a fever and either sweats or chills nonstop for an entire year as he was touring. However, it was impossible to tell from his performances, which were beautiful and awe-inspiring.

In fact, Aranda was not lying when she said there was a lot of music in the movie -- Andrew Bird: Fever Year is practically all music. He was either performing on stage, in the recording studio, writing music on his farm, rehearsing with his band or simply playing and singing for the hell of it for the majority of the film, with some interviews spliced in about Bird's life, creative process, band mates, and other aspects of his tour. Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. As wonderful as it was to hear Bird talk about his life, and hear funny banter from his bandmates, the music is what captivated and enthralled me, and the interviews only added to the experience.

When the film drew to a close and the lights came on, Aranda stepped back on stage. She was clearly comfortable in front of a crowd, and her tone was very conversational as she took questions. Common questions such as "What video format did you shoot in?" were thrown out, but what I loved to hear about were her interactions with Bird himself.

Aranda and Bird had been friends for about 10 years before she made this movie, so making him feel comfortable with the presence of a camera wasn’t as difficult for her as it might have been for someone less familiar to Bird. He is quiet and reticent to open up about his private life, but is always eager and willing to discuss music and is actually a very funny guy. Getting him to speak about himself was no small feat, Aranda revealed, but her efforts are rewarding for the audience, because those brief glimpses into Bird’s life are truly magical.

As someone who would not have been able to name a single Andrew Bird song previously, I left the theater a devoted fan, intent on going home and purchasing every last one of his albums. Unfortunately, as the director said during the Q&A, the idea of distributing Andrew Bird: Fever Year and making money off it was just "icky" to Bird, so it will be playing at festivals only. To find times and locations, visit the documentary's website.

Rachel Hudson is an intern at the Austin Film Society.